Hard lump under c section scar

amroke

I am 6 weeks post c section and had my OB appt last week, where he said (and I agreed) that everything was healing nicely. Now all of the sudden yesterday I was having more achiness and discomfort, and I realized I had a lump (maybe 1.5 inches long x .5 inch high) right below my scar sort of towards the middle of it but a little to one side. It's somewhat sore but not horrible. I guess it's possible that it's been there longer than a day, but it definitely hasn't been there all along. Anyone else have something similar appear so long after the c section? I'm wondering if it's just scar tissue, or something more ominous. I will call my OB Monday, but of course I noticed this on a Friday so I have all weekend to be concerned (I don't think this rises to the level of contacting the OB on call).

amroke

Noticed my skin in that area is pink which scared me enough to call the on-call doc. He didn't seem too concerned, said to keep an eye on it and if it gets worse to go to the ER. Otherwise, to come in on Monday.

jenb_99

Sounds like inflammation to me. FX that it'll clear up on its own and isn't infected. It's probably a good sign that the doc isn't too concerned.

eghulse

I've had a hard lump under mine from the start. I knew mine is just scar tissue that will break up eventually. It's just annoying for a while

jenb_99

This reminds me of an article I found a few weeks ago. https://www.pregnancy.org/article/massage-your-c-section-scar

spinsoffresonance

eghulse said:

I've had a hard lump under mine from the start. I knew mine is just scar tissue that will break up eventually. It's just annoying for a while

Same here.

Allibob

For several weeks after my CS I would get a firm lump under my scar. It would get more sore & bigger the more active I was, or if my pants were too tight or rubbed on it. It eventually went away, but it's a good idea to keep an eye on it. Take some Motrin & wear soft pants maybe?

FlemDance

This a my first c-section and I've been healing tremendously well. However, I had a bowel resection a few years ago and developed abcesses several times - they are extremely painful and not fun. Mine were deeper internally so j didn't feel a lump, just the pain. I'd suggest to keep a close eye on things and to take it easy as best as you can.

dragossoul84

Could be nothing but I'd have it checked out any way I had one that turned out to be an internal hematoma. Scared the crap out of me when it burst felt like my water broke again but it was blood.

amroke

@FlemDance‌, how were the abscesses treated?

blessednewmom1

I would get it checked just to be safe. My doc said redness or soreness should always be checked in case of infection. Abscesses are usually treated with antibiotics and may need to be drained. Keep an eye out for a fever or the area becoming warm to the touch.

FlemDance

@amroke‌ I had 2 abscesses and both were treated differently. The first one reared its ugly head 5 days post surgery and the day after I got home from the hospital. It was pretty large and I can't even explain how bad the pain was. I had to have a drain put in, and, because the abscess was so low in my pelvis, the drain had to be run through my butt cheek and around my organs to the abscess. That was another 5 day hospital stay, and the drain was in for 2 weeks. Had a bag strapped to me with the nasty drainage and DH had to clean the site every day. Second abscess came about a month later. Smaller and not as painful. Treated with IV antibiotics which meant another 5 day stay.

If your gut is telling you something us wrong, it's totally worth talking with your doc. The first one came on so quickly that there was no question that something was seriously wrong. I believe that I saw signs of one forming the second time, so we were able to stop it before it got bad.